The Water & Sewage Treatment Plant
Across the street from Plaisted Cottages is the community’s first sewage treatment plant, which the tribe constructed after gaining federal recognition in 1975 and becoming eligible for a range of assistance programs designed to alleviate poverty. Following decades of dealing with overflowing State-maintained sewerage systems and suffering the consequences of consuming contaminated water, Indian Township residents finally gained access to clean well water. The struggle to access the source of all life had taken years.
“Current socioeconomic statistics reveal longstanding discriminatory practices: 45 percent substandard housing, 65 percent unemployment, severe health problems, nonexistent bicultural education, and 4 out of 136 Indian foster children in Indian foster homes.”
Severe health problems
On the subject of water, the U.S. Civil Rights Commission Report (1967) stated that:
Many tribal homes lacked safe and reliable sources of clean water.
The report points to insufficient infrastructure, with some homes relying on unsafe wells or surface water sources prone to contamination.
These water access issues compounded other public health risks, such as high rates of disease and inadequate sanitation facilities.
The Passamaquoddy people have faced longstanding economic marginalization. Forced land dispossession, limited access to natural resources, scarce local economic opportunities, and systemic discrimination throughout the 19th and much of the 20th centuries contributed to high rates of poverty in and around Motahkomikuk.
In the early 1970s, growing awareness of civil rights issues affecting Indigenous peoples across the United States led the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to focus attention on Wabanaki communities and the systemic inequities they faced.
Against this backdrop, the Maine Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights was tasked with investigating the specific conditions of Indigenous populations in the state. The resulting report, Federal and State Services and the Maine Indian, published in December 1974, was a comprehensive review of how federal and state agencies delivered—or failed to deliver—services to Wabanaki communities.
It documented issues such as poverty, inadequate health and education services, and the lack of recognition and respect for tribal sovereignty. And it concluded that these issues were not isolated but rather the result of long-standing assumptions, policies, and practices of discrimination against the Indigenous population in what had become Maine.
The report underscored that improving water infrastructure was critical for addressing both immediate health concerns and long-term community well-being, and it recommended targeted investments and coordinated federal and state support to address these basic needs.
The Federal and State Services and the Maine Indian report marked a turning point, providing official recognition of many systemic barriers faced by the Wabanaki communities. It helped to inform subsequent policy discussions at both the federal and state levels regarding funding, program design, and civil rights protections.
Importantly, the 1974 report laid groundwork for advocacy and legal efforts that culminated in the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980. Of course, it is important to note that while MISCA provided financial compensation and resources, it fell far short of fully resolving economic challenges and had a negative impact on efforts to establish recognition of Wabanaki inherent sovereignty and government-to-government relations between tribal communities and the state and nation.
“ I grew up feeling like I was a taker… The State was investing our Trust Fund all around the nation—in Philly, Bangor, Augusta, Eastport… Money was being invested everywhere except in our own community. Some tribal members were living in paper shacks. Some had no floors.”
This research was compiled as part of the Mihqitahatom: The “I Remember” Walk at Motahkomikuk/Indian Township, which took place on August 17, 2025. For more research related to this area, click on the tags below. To download a hi-res version of the posters below for educational use, please contact where@atlanticblackbox.com.
This walk was a collaboration between the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Motahkomikuk (Indian Township), First Light, and the Walks for Historical & Ecological Recovery (WHERE), a series convened by Atlantic Black Box, following the actions and determination of the community and leadership from elders.
